Where has the joy of shopping gone? People are so worried about losing their jobs, that they're forgetting their favorite American pastime, SHOPPING! Stress at work... go shopping... wife giving you a hard time take it out at Barneys. Since the recession/depression has deepened, people's pockets have gotten much lighter. And what happened to luxury wear being the staple of status and privledge that it used to be? Now, everything's "Buy now, pay no interest for 12 months!"... Saks... Not that's there's anything wrong with a sale here and there, but 70% off that's absurd! On the other hand, it does save you money. On my second trip, this time to the suburb of Bridgewater, Massachusetts to visit my cousins, we took a detour for a little R&R shopping, because God knows after NJ I needed one. I was well prepared to spend a moderate, $100 or $120 on a new sweater or mock turteneck I eyed at Club Monaco, a hip,young, high end boutique geared toward customers in their late teens, and early 20's with a little extra money to burn. However, through lack of communication we ended up in Wrentham. Wrentham Premium Outlets, have every major label, Bebe, Guess, Ralph Lauren, Hugo Boss, DKNY.... you name it, they even have a Barney's New York and a Saks OFF 5TH department store. Fret not, apparently they also were having an after Christmas sale, that we were unaware of. In this case my mental shopping brain waves changed direction, screw the turtleneck I needed a new pair of white jeans! I waltzed into Hugo Boss and bought myself a pair, that fit me just right, and hugged every crevice of my slender body, then I swung over to Barneys New York, and picked up one of their thermal tees with a silver skull on it, with the stores logo on the front. In the end, I ended up saving $50 + bucks! I was flabbergasted! that was one of the few times that I had ever actually had money left over after a shopping trip. Moral of the story, don't knock it till you try it! Although, it's not chic to go outlet shopping every time, it is advisable to do so every once a while. Plus side, everything you need's only a foot or so away from you, and I can guarentee you'll get everything you wanted!
BOOKS I RECOMMEND:
I kind of stumbled across this book.
It's a relatively contemporary memoirof the former editor-at-large of American
Vogue, Andre Leon Talley. He recalls his
humble beginnings in North Carolina
raised by his grandmother which he writes
about for the first five five chapters of the book.
He takes us on a journey with him from the South,
to Paris and eventually to New York to his current
role in life. The descriptions are rich, and the
language is pompous but but in an elegant way.
I love this book, as many of you know it is seldom
told the story of the African American in matters
of high fashion and high society. Enjoy!
